Across the Ocean
by SirenMist
Summary: Forced by her father to take the throne, Yuffie faces an arranged marriage to the vice president of the W.R.O. in an attempt to unite Gaia as one. Neither being too hot to trot on the idea, the couple turn the country's traditions inside out and upside down with their modern ideas and their scheming ways. Told through different written forms. Yuffentine! Occurs after DOC.
1. Goodbye, Freedom

**A new Yuffentine, surprise! I know, I need to finish the ones I've already posted. Anyways, this first chapter goes pretty fast, but I needed to jump into the action pretty quick. I plan to only make this ten chapters or so, and not nearly as long as Single White Rose. Only two to three thousand words per chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything read here!**

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My morning progressed much like any other boring morning at the World Regenesis Organization: I had a cup of crap-tastic coffee in one hand and a file that I faked reading in the other. Reeve had this delightfully pissed look on his face as his attention darted from one of the corporation's executives to me, and back again. His eyes kept shooting me threats, each some unspoken way of how he'd punish me (more paperwork, presumably) if I fell asleep one more time during a company meeting. Yawn. Ever since Reeve's organization had become a world economic and government empire, the meetings got progressively more boring. The general manager of the Planet, as I had dubbed Reeve, had his plate pretty full with juggling the increasingly strong corporation. He'd dragged Vincent back into the mix once more, even though the vampire had demanded that his part in the cause ended with Deepground, and shoved him into position as the commander-in-chief of all warfare power – military, navy, airforce, and so on. I actually felt sorry for the guy. On top of that, Vincent headed the department of combat strategy, a not too easy job. After about a year or so, Reeve promoted dear old Mr. Valentine to second-in-command, the vice prez!

He was so pissed off.

About halfway through Mr. Who-Cares-What-His-Name-Is-Anyways' presentation, my eyelids were just too heavy and sleep was far too tempting, and I thought, 'Screw you, Tuesti. If I fall asleep, you can shove the paperwork on me. I'll just start a rumor that you're gay. See how long Shelke sticks with you then.'

Yeah, I fell asleep feelin' puh-riii-tty smug.

"Miss Kisaragi!"

I jolted awake, my brown eyes wide in alarm. A couple of snots hid their arrogant smirks and cackles behind their fist, and I shot them a look that would've made them drop dead if I possessed the capability. They shut up immediately. A cough brought my attention back to the speaker.

"How have the espionage trainees progressed?"

Ugh. I forgot about them for all of one hour – and that had been a damn blissful hour, too. Now, staring back at the punk that conveniently picked on me, I had to talk about them. "Let's face it. They're hopeless." Vincent's eyes met mine from across the table, and I could have _sworn_ he was smirking and a little amusement hid in his crimson eyes. Infectiously, I smirked back, full-out grinning as I continued, "Reeve, you can lead a chocobo to water, but you can't make it drink. Just ask Cait Sith, he's seen 'em! I taught the ingrates everything I know, and they don't do a damn thing. It's like they're brains are mush. It's kind of creepy, actually – they stare at me with their beady little eyes, like they're tryin' to control me with their demon-telekinesis!"

At this, the gunslinger shook his head, his long onyx hair falling in front of his face as he responded with some mirth, "Demons cannot control people with their minds, Yuffie. And, in any case, your recruits are six-year-olds, not mindless robots."

"Could 'a' fooled me," I mumbled under my breath, but the ex-Turk-turned-corporate-powerhouse-vice heard me and raised any eyebrow. Damn those advanced senses.

Reeve sighed, his eyes closed like the beginnings of a migraine were rapidly approaching. Maybe they were. He stood after a moment, looked each of us in the eyes, and declared, "You are all dismissed."

"Hell yeah!" I cried, pumping my fist in the air. These things sucked the life right out of me – hey, it was kinda like my robot-recruit-children-of-the-corn…

A finger tapped my shoulder and I turned to face Vincent, a deep blush threatening to creep into my cheeks as I fully admired him for the first time that morning. His tailored black suit with a crimson tie fit his dark hair, blood-red eyes, and pale complexion. A hint of a smile played at his lips and, confound it all, I wanted to swoon.

"Hey, Vinnie!" I greeted, grinning at him and trying not to lose my cool. "Is there somethin' ya need?"

The handsome gunslinger extended his hand, a file clasped in it. I took it and flipped it open, examining the contents. It was some garble of mess that I really didn't even bother to read. After I closed it, I looked back up to find the gunslinger regarding me with an expression that I couldn't quite place. At last, he nodded and turned, leaving the room. I watched his exit, missing his presence already. Since our time together during Deepground, Vince and I had quickly become good friends. He and I were almost as close as I was to Tifa, and that was saying something.

"May I talk to you, Miss Kisaragi?"

With an audible groan, I turned to my boss and flashed him a pseudo-smile, making sure he knew it was forced. Reeve's eye twitched, and I just knew he wanted to roll them. He led me away from the conference room toward his office, his hand on my elbow. I grinned as he shut the door and met my eyes with a wary gaze.

"So, Reevester, what's it gonna be? More paperwork? Janitorial duty? Wait, no more recruits!"

The commissioner sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. A frown made itself known on my face. Something was definitely weighing heavy on his mind. Usually, he either rose to my bait, or joked along with me. We'd come to be pretty good friends, too, so this behavior seemed rather odd to me. "Reevey, are you okay?"

"You have to leave, Yuffie. You are released from your duties as the head of espionage and intelligence."

That shocked the cocky attitude right out of me. What the hell was he doing!? He couldn't fire _me_! "I don't understa-"

The president raised his hand, his eyes not meeting mine as he interjected, "Please, Yuffie. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

I wanted to hit Reeve, or scream, or maybe even cry. I loved my job, even if I complained about it more than I did it. Every day I got to come in and see Vincent, Reeve, Elena, Tseng, all of my friends – and I liked to think I did my job damn well! So this cryptic chocobo crap really pissed me off.

"Give me one good reason why you're letting me go," I spat, my eyes narrowed to slits as Reeve finally looked at me, his face withdrawn. My voice held a firm determination, not to mention all of the venom I could muster under the circumstances. Which was quite a lot.

"Because your father has summoned you to Wutai to take the thrown."

Well, he had me at that.

* * *

"Another round," I ordered Tifa, my face sunken miserably as I leaned my cheek on my palm. The confrontation with Reeve had ended with my jumping up and slamming the door on my way out. My heart had hurt too much and my pride was too wounded to stick around and argue my case to the president. My hair-brained father didn't seem to get that I denounced my title as princess to live my life as _I_ saw fit, not how Wutai did. Sure, my heart contained nothing but love for my country and people, but nothing and no one was gonna dictate how I acted and what I chose to do with my life.

The buxom barmaid bit her lower lip, wine-colored eyes brimming with hesitation. She held my glass, staring at it as if some inner-war raged in her head. After a moment, she protested, "Yuffs, I think you've had enou-"

As much as I loved Tifa, the woman had just hit a nerve that only three hours prior, Reeve Tuesti had prodded at until it festered and jolted at the slightest agitation. With a low growl, I bit back, "Tifa, don't you dare start telling me how to live my life, too."

With a piercingly guilty mien, she placed the glass on the counter and whipped around, grabbing a bottle of some amber-colored liquid before pouring it hastily into the tumbler, fumbling, "I'm sorry, Yu, I wasn't trying to-"

My hand closed over the top of my best friend's trembling one, my eyes falling on the now overflowing glass. Tentatively, she placed the bottle back on the counter, not looking at me. It filled me with a sense of guilt that I'd upset her, since I knew she only worried about me. She wasn't any happier about my predicament than I was.

"Nah, Teef, don't apologize. I'm the one who should be sorry – you're just taking care of me. Thanks, Mom, but I got it."

A small smile cracked as she finally met my gaze, sliding the glass into the space in front of me. I raised it to my lips and let the liquid slide down my throat, burning it a little. Placing the now empty glass back onto the counter, my hands still clasped around it (I had no intentions of being done after that shot), I turned to my left to find Vincent staring at me, a displeased expression on his handsome face. It took everything I had not to jump or scream. How he just appeared out of thin air never ceased to amaze me.

"Vinnie," I greeted nervously, my eyes flitting from him to Tifa. With a scheming look in her eyes, the barmaid excused herself to go clean a table at the other side of Seventh Heaven. That just left me and the ever-disappointed-looking vampire. "Sup?"

With a very decided motion, the ex-Turk took the glass from my hands and placed it to the far side of him, crossing his arms afterward. "Yuffie, you should not be drinking yourself into a stupor."

Okay, that ticked me the heck off. Here I'd just gotten through telling Tifa to keep her nose where it belonged, and she was my closest friend. No way was Valentine going to get away with the same crap.

"I don't think it's your place to say anything." He glared in return, his crimson eyes swimming with some emotion akin to anger and dissatisfaction. "I don't remember asking you."

The gunslinger stood in a fluid motion, grabbing the glass rather forcefully before slamming it into the counter in front of me, the tumbler shattering. His eyes flashed with callousness as he fixed me with one last gaze. Finally, he hissed, "If you choose to act like a foolish child and drink yourself into oblivion, have at it. I won't be attending your funeral. Goodbye, Yuffie."

With that, he whipped out of the bar, his face expressionless aside from the storm that raged in his blood-red orbs. Tifa jerked her head to look at me with a wide-eyed expression. After a moment, she ran out the door, taking off after the ex-Turk. I remained in my seat, feeling slightly shamefaced that I'd upset him, too. Vincent had a tendency of freaking out when people threatened their health – damn, Lucrecia. She did it to him. Never would he stop being so protective of those he cared for, he'd forever continue to try to 'save them'.

A couple of moments later, the martial artist returned, sighing as she leaned against the counter beside me. She cleaned up the glass mess that Vincent had made, remaining silent though I could tell she was almost bursting at the seams.

"Ugh, what, Tifa?"

"You really upset him, Yuffie." Tifa hung her head, shaking it lightly. "He came to say goodbye before you left, you know. He's got to go to Junon tonight to check up on the monster population. He… He's going to miss you, Yuffie. You're his closest friend, and you're about to take the throne. You'll be gone, preoccupied with your Wutain priorities. We won't see you for a long time, if ever again…"

As if I didn't feel bad enough as it was… "I… I was trying not to think about Wutai."

"It's all he was thinking about." Her reply came immediately, followed through in an unwavering voice. She pinned me with a very intense look, one that screamed, 'Go after him!'

With a sudden burst of energy, I tore out of Seventh Heaven, knocking my stool over in the process. Through the streets I raced, my legs carrying me as fast as my ninja-ness would permit. The ache that accompanied long distance running soon made itself known, and my legs began to burn, but still I flew across the town, trying to get to the transportation center.

After roughly ten minutes, I could see a flash of a red tie in the distance. I followed the cloth up to the eyes of its owner, almost crying out in joy as I met crimson. Immediately, the color darkened to the shade of dried blood, and a scowl broke out on the otherwise beautiful face.

"Vincent!" I shouted, feeling tears prick at my eyes from exertion. He turned, facing the ticket window, his lips moving quickly, almost like the sentence had no pauses between the words. "Vincent!" A little slip of paper was slid beneath the glass, and the gunslinger collected it, grabbing his bags. "Vincent!" His long black hair whipped in the wind as he made his way to the bus port. "Vincent Valentine, please wait!"

The door to the bus opened, letting out a stream of people as I closed the distance. The gunslinger seemed to grow anxious, shifting his weight as he gritted his teeth and glared at the many people pouring out of the vehicle. "Vincent, please!" I could feel honest tears trailing down my cheeks now. I could taste victory as a mere ten feet remained between us. I knew I had won.

And then the bus pulled away, and with a sick, knife-like pang in my gut, I watched crimson eyes meet mine from behind a blue pane, traveling away from me faster than I could run.

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**I hope you all liked it! The next chapter will have to do with Yuffie's trip and return to Wutai, and from there, she will resume her duties as the proper lady of Wutai. Now and then, we'll hear from Vince ;)**

**Even if it's not your thing, please leave a review and tell me what you did and didn't like, because the story only gets better, and the writer only improves if the critics tell her what she's doing wrong and right. **


	2. SOS!

**Okay, so only four reviews? Come on, y'all :{ **

**Thanks very much to those who did review, alert, or fave! I appreciate you guys!**

**This chapter is only one thousand words or so, but it's in a bunch of different formats, tell me if you like the way I did it. Not sure I've ever seen something done this way, but I enjoyed writing different styles, so I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned FFVII, do you think I'd have to write FanFictions?**

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Headlines 

Wutai Daily _- September 21__st_

** PRODIGAL PRINCESS RETURNS TO TAKE THRONE AND MARRY SUITOR**

Late yesterday evening the Shera, an airship owned by a fellow AVALANCHE teammate of the Princess Yuffie, landed on the outskirts of the capitol city of Wutai. Thousands of fellow Wutain countrymen attended with their families as Lady Yuffie Kisaragi made her way to the Pagoda to see her father, Lord Godo, for the first time since the Geostigma crisis. The now twenty-two-year-old princess is set to marry a very prestigious man, whom she also traveled with in AVALANCHE, from the World Regenesis Organization.

The W.R.O. was once a small group of militia men led by Reeve Tuesti in an attempt to help pick up the pieces of the Planet following the reign of ShinRa, a very dark time for all of Gaia, and especially the great country, Wutai. The small power soon grew in economic strength and military supremacy as more and more joined the cause and promoted its rule. Due to President Tuesti's marriage to Shelke Rui, the sovereign of the Northern Continent following her impromptu inauguration by the idolizing Northerners – courtesy of her contribution to the research of memories and science and discovery of a cure for a disease one little girl acquired – the Eastern Continent merged with the North, furthering Tuesti's power. The W.R.O. looked to the union of Gaia as one, eager to make peace treaties with every area and allow a democratic rule over the entire Planet, rather than the totalitarian-like leadership of the ShinRa family.

When Nanaki, the protector of Cosmo Canyon and the West, signed the peace accords two years ago and connected the Western Continent to the World Regenesis organization, he received much praise from the citizens of the area, save for the select few that wished to remain autonomous, such as the North Corel area. It was clear to all that the W.R.O. was a substantial empire and a world power on the rise, no longer the small group of volunteer workers that set out to help clean up ShinRa's mess. All that remained for the taking was the Wutain continent, and fearing another war like the ShinRa-Wutai War, Lord Godo sought out the president to make an agreement that would benefit Wutai completely and secure its safety from any unforeseen raids. He offered his daughter, the only heir to the Kisaragi throne, to Vice President Valentine as a wife, for the man has remained single until this very day.

Tuesti agreed to the deal, and Lady Yuffie's marriage is set for December of this year, very rushed to assure that no attacks will occur on Wutain soil before the contract has been finalized. The princess knows nothing of the pact yet, and gossip declares that Vice President Valentine is unaware of the treaty, too. Lord Godo and President Tuesti wish to keep it a secret until the time has come to assure that the princess and the vice do not attempt to get out of the arrangement.

**See Page A12 for more on the circumstances surrounding the marriage and the adventures of the princess as a member of AVALANCHE.**

**By Miyuki Tixhini**

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Dear Teef,

Yuffie here. Bored out of my mind. Come save me. SOS.

Something, anything!

I guess I should elaborate, huh? Well, Lord Buttkiss has confined me to the dungeon (it's what I call my room, you see) for all of time. I think he's punishing me for making him look bad, or like more of an ass than he looked before. Yeah, my peeps here in Wutai were a little put off by the crap Dad put me through, so his image went down the drain for a while. Pfft. Image, yeah right.

Anyways, I feel like the Oriental version of Rapunzel, for real. You remember that story that Aerith told us back before Meteor? It was the one about the Cetra girl who had the reeeaaallllllyy long hair and she got shoved up into the tower by a freak scientist (bet it was Hojo) so that he could use her for an immortality potion thing or another. Huh, kinda reminds me of Vince…

Speaking of – do you know what that vampire did to me? He gave me the cold shoulder! I wasted my time, my energy, and my breath to run after the ingrate, and he just stuck his pretty little nose in the air and ignored me, then he hopped on a bus and took the hell off to Junon!

What makes me feel worse is what I said to him before he left. I acted like he had no right to worry about me, and it kind hurts to think that what I said actually got to him. Here he let us into his life, let us behind that damn wall he puts up around his heart, and I acted like I didn't appreciate him.

It's still his fault, just so you know. He totally should have watched what he said to me. What can I say? I was tipsy and had a bit too much to drink. Really, Vinnie shoulda watched his mouth a little better! Man, Teefs, if I ever see him again, I'm gonna stick it to him!

Doubt we'll ever meet up again though, and that's kind of a depressing thought. He was a really good friend, Teefs (not as good as you though, so don't be jealous!) and I'm going to miss picking on him and telling him he smells like my old man's closet. It's too bad.

Anyways, enough about me (still sooooo friggin' bored, and I've only been back for a day). How's it going over there? How are you and Cloud? Tell me you two have finally gotten your act together and created some babies! And since it's you, Tifa, I know you're reading this aloud with Chocobohead, Marlene, Denzel, and maybe even Shelke in the room, and it probably didn't occur to you to shut up and quit reading until this line, so I'm gonna go ahead and apologize now… Love ya, Tifa? Don't hurt me, please! I know that you could probably dolphin-kick the wall right now and I'll feel it over here. In fact, I think I just felt it – it's like we have telepathy…

Please write (backwater country is lacking in technology – that'll be the first thing to go) back soon! I'm dying over here! (And going crazy, see the last line for confirmation ~ Telepathy, for real?)

The Great Ninja Yuffie

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_Thank you for shopping at GaiMart Express! Please come again soon!_

Package of Stationary … 20 Gil

Pack of Black Pens … 10 Gil

Box of Spaghetti Noodles … 10 Gil

2 Pounds of Tomatoes … 7 Gil

Carton of Mushrooms … 6 Gil

Block of Parmesan Cheese … 4 Gil

Mixed Herbs and Spices … 4 Gil

Bottle of del Solian Champagne … 500 Gil

'We're Parents' Balloon … 20 Gil

_SubTotal_: 581 Gil

_Total with Tax_: 588 Gil

**Signature of Recipient**: Tifa Lockheart

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**Okay, in the next chapter, I might have some action, and some styles like what I did in here. Did you like it? Was it okay? I wanted to experiment with telling the story through different perspectives than just a narrator and a POV. I wanted to go for a 'you get the whole picture through every different aspect, besides just being told'. **

**In any case, I hope you enjoyed, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! (I know, I'm not above begging, I just love feedback)**


	3. My Gun's Bigger

**Okay, here's the last update until July! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, read, favorite, or alerted!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any FFVII stuff.**

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_Vincent's POV_

When I entered the W.R.O. this morning, a hush fell over all whom were present in the corridor. Although the time had yet to reach eight, great clusters of company employees stood huddled together like penguiobos in the Northern Continent, their backs facing me though the occasional head jerked my way, quickly reverting back to the inner circle as soon as they made eye contact. A somewhat cowering expression crossed the face of my secretary as I bid her a quiet good morning and set a stack of papers to be signed upon the cluttered spread of her desk. She flinched from me, creating a rather wide berth as I proceeded to instruct her on whom I needed to speak with to close various deals. Cocking an eyebrow at her questioningly, she merely slouched in her seat, looking impeccably close to a turtle.

The office that had been assigned to me when Reeve promoted me, though I adamantly argued that he had forced me into the position rather than awarded me a higher rank, felt of an eerie electrical charge. All of the quiet whispering that occurred as workers scurried past my door caused me to bristle. Every so often, I'd lean out of my office door and catch the eye of my secretary, but in seconds she would be typing away at her computer or speaking wildly into the receiver of the office phone, but never meeting my gaze head on.

Retreating into my office once more, I narrowed my eyes and leaned against my desk, wondering just what was going on this morning at the World Regenesis Organization. I cast one more look at my nervous-wreck-of-a-secretary and shook my head, deciding that it was high time I paid President Tuesti a visit.

* * *

Report on Wutai

President Reeve Tuesti of the World Regenesis Organization,

All within Wutai is quiet. The Wutai Guard remains stationed at its posts and on high alert. There has been an unfortunate leak of the information concerning the arrangement you and I made regarding my daughter and the vice president of your empire, though she has been kept safely guarded from any and all outside communications aside from the letter I allowed her to write to her friend, Tina or something like that, from AVALANCHE.

All information Lady Yuffie receives is thoroughly examined prior to her being given it, so there is little to worry about on my end of the contract being severed. Leviathan knows that my daughter will never marry against her will – which is why we must act in a very discreet manner. I thank you, Mr. President, for your time.

By the way, how is Vincent? I suppose it is only polite to inquire about his health and such, since he shall be married to Yuffie in three months' time.

Lord Godo Kisaragi of Wutai

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Dear Diary,

It's been a while since I've written. I'm older than I used to be, so this feels kind of childish to me, but I figured that there are some instances that you have to write down on paper.

Today, Tifa made this really nice dinner for everyone. She made spaghetti with meatballs and a salad, and she even poured glasses of champagne for Cloud, Denzel, and me – and she never lets us drink. Denzel asked her why she was so happy, cuz at dinner she had a huge smile on her face, and she just smiled brighter, like a happy ray of sun.

Cloud was quiet. He sat there and shoveled his food into his mouth like the starved puppy that Tifa told me not to get near on Mako street. Anyways, Tifa asked how the food tasted, and Denzel and I both said we loved it, but Cloud didn't answer.

I think it hurt Tifa's feelings. I don't like it when her feelings are hurt, and I can always tell when her feelings are hurt because she drops her head low and stares at her shoes, or in this case, a tomato that she hadn't eaten yet. I glared pretty hard at Cloud, and when he looked up, he kind of had this startled look on his face, like he didn't know why I was so upset. But then I looked at Tifa, and he looked at Tifa, and Tifa looked at him, and Denzel looked at me.

We all sat there staring at each other, and it was really awkward. After a moment, Tifa asked Cloud how his day was, and he said, "…"

But isn't it just like him to do that? It bugged Teef, I know that for sure. She bit her lip, clasped her hands on the table, met my eyes, and whispered in a plead-y kind of voice, "Marlene, honey, can you and Denzel take your plates to the sink and then run up to your room. You said you had a lot of homework, didn't you?"

School had just started back for us about two weeks ago, and we all knew that Denzel and I didn't have any homework at all, but he jumped up, grabbed the plates and took off to the kitchen. I followed, saying goodnight to Tifa, but ignoring Cloud of course. Instead of going to our rooms, however, I stood outside the door, listening to the conversation that wasn't happening, as both the adults were just sitting there and not speaking to each other.

After a moment, Tifa sighed and asked Cloud if he'd had a good day, and again, he only glanced up at her, nodded, and looked back down at his half-eaten food. For a miserable second, Tifa's lip trembled and I really thought that she would start crying. But then she pushed away from the table, picked up her plate, and whispered, "Goodnight, Cloud."

I knew I was busted then, since Tifa was heading right my way. Luckily, Cloud stopped her and gazed into her eyes, answering, "Goodnight, Tifa."

I think she was hoping he'd say more, because she gazed at him with a longing look on her face, her mouth slightly open. But he released her arm and picked up his plate, dishing most of the food into the trash. Tifa watched him, and her eyes looked overly shiny. I knew she was seconds from crying.

She started shouting at Cloud, and it shocked us both, because Tifa's a mom-like woman, and moms don't shout like that. "What's your problem!?" she screamed at him, and I knew he was going to be defensive the second she said that.

"My problem!? What's yours?"

She shoved past him, throwing her plate onto the table rather than taking it to the kitchen. She walked away and Cloud just stood there like an idiot, sighing pretty heavily.

I went to my room after that, but I stopped by Tifa and Cloud's and looked in. Tifa must have left the house because she wasn't in there, and Cloud was still downstairs, standing around like a mindless zombie. Anyways, I decided to look around a bit, and then I found a helium balloon with a little ribbon tied around it floating next to a card that was addressed to Cloud.

The balloon said, "We're parents!" and I knew immediately why Tifa had made dinner and was so insistent upon making Cloud have a good evening. She was pregnant, and he'd just royally blew her off, not even knowing why.

I hope they work things out soon, cause I heard that Aunt Yuffie and Uncle Vincent will probably be needing Cloud and Tifa for support because they are about to get married and neither knows it. I haven't figured that one out yet. Usually, the people getting married decide for themselves, or at least someone tells them. It's odd...

Marlene Wallace

* * *

I stopped by Reeve's office on my way to lunch, but the secretary, all smiles, pleasantly informed me that he was out and had no appointments open today.

I gave her the glare that Yuffie had once called "The Turk Vincent, I'll Bust Your Knee Caps" glare, and in seconds she had swooped up her phone, dialed a few numbers, and was carrying on a conversation with the president in a satisfyingly urgent manner. When she hung up, her hand shook slightly. She glanced up at me apologetically.

"He… He said that he cannot meet with you, Vice President Valentine."

My glare turned slightly more malicious, and I hissed, "I am the vice president, I don't _need_ to schedule an appointment to meet with Tuesti."

"Of… Of course, sir. But you see, he's… he's terribly busy this week, and everyone must schedule an appointment to meet with him," she finally managed, her timid voice wavering. With a sigh, I ran a hand through my hair and turned around.

"Alright. But I expect you to tell Reeve the very moment you see him next that Vincent Valentine demands to speak to him." I left no room for negotiations. With a jerky nod, the secretary went back to whatever had occupied her prior to my storming into Reeve's office.

On my way back to my own office, my advanced hearing detected the faint bits of a conversation some off-duty employees were having at the end of the hall. Already, my temper had been tried, I had been denied the right to speak with Reeve, and I was growing more infuriated with all of the whispering, so when I heard the name, "Yuffie," and, "hot Wutain ninja," enter the discussion, something inside me snapped.

I spun around and grabbed the guard by his shirt front, pushing him against the wall. A look of surprise registered on his face and he shoved against me, but I was stronger than just about any man alive, and this guard was nothing but a nuisance.

"I will ask you one time, and one time only – what did you just say?" My voice was low, frigid and ruthless as I narrowed my crimson eyes to slits. I could tell that the man was intimidated by the way he swallowed thickly, and after a moment, he glanced at his friend.

"I was just – just saying how the princess of Wutai had a…"

"Had a what?" I demanded, ramming the man into the wall for emphasis.

"Had a cute butt?"

His friend snickered, but immediately shut up when I shot a glare his way. Looking back at the man in my grip, I asked venomously, "And was there anything else said?"

His friend piped up, "He said her skirt was so short the other day that he could see straight up-"

With a roar, I slammed the man into the wall and pinned him with an enraged gaze. I didn't quite know why I felt like protecting Yuffie, seeing as how we had parted on less than pleasant terms, but she had still been the person closest to me, and I rather resented sexual innuendos aimed at her on the part of some worthless maggot with a shiny toy gun in his pocket. Mine was bigger.

"Next time, you will have the decency to be a gentleman, or I will not let you walk away with the ability to reproduce, do I make myself clear?" The way in which I spoke reminded me of Chaos, but I didn't care beyond scaring the man into defecating himself.

"Yes-yes, Vice President Valentine!" the man responded instantly, and I dropped him on the ground. Straightening my suit, I turned around and continued on my way, feeling ever more confused when I caught the man whisper, "Dude, he was so jealous! He's whipped and they ain't even tied the knot yet!"

* * *

**Okay, I hope you all enjoyed! For those wondering, Vincent did know exactly how dirty it sounded when he mentioned the gun, it was a double entendre ;) He's possessive.**

**In the next chapter, I hope to have at least one of them find out what's going on. Thanks again, and see you in July! Please review!**


	4. I'm Trapped In Hell With a Diary

**I'm back, after like a couple of months. Thank you for all of the reviews! They made me smile, and I'm so glad that people are enjoying this!**

**Guest reviewers, please see my a/n at the end, and I'll answer you review! ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not profit from the writing and usage of a storyline, game, characters, settings, and concepts which belong to their rightful owners. Capiche?**

* * *

With yet another groan, another child-like flailing of her arms and beating on her mattress, and another pitiful shriek, Yuffie screeched, "I wanna go home!"

Godo sighed, his voice weary as he replied, "Yuffie, dear, you are home. Please, it has been so long since I've seen you, let us enjoy the time we have together."

Bolting upright in her bed, Yuffie glared at her father from his spot on her vanity stool. Raising an eyebrow, she deadpanned, "Holy Leviathan, you're dying aren't you?"

This earned a rather amusing eye-roll from the Lord of Wutai as he replied, "No, Yuffie, I am not — why did you sound fairly pleased by that notion?" Her father crossed his arms, his slanted eyes even more slanted as he assessed the young ninja.

With another prolonged sigh, Yuffie fell back onto her pillow and grumbled, "I was not pleased… much. Hey, don't look at me like that, old man! I want to be back with my friends… There's — I cannot believe I'm telling you this — a guy that I screwed things up with back home. I…" She sat up again, looking her father dead in the eyes as she twiddled her fingers and plucked at fray strings in her comforter. "I really liked him, Dad."

Leviathan, her face felt like it was burning, and it probably was. Why did she say that? Now her dad was gonna be all, 'Yuffie, you have duties to your country. Silly crushes are something of the past! Do not dishonor me!' Blah!

"Hn," her father sounded, his face scowling. He appeared very displeased, as she knew he would be. "Well, if he had not attempted to fix things with you either, then he is not good enough for you anyhow!" Godo turned and glanced at a picture on her vanity, his eyes searching the familiar faces of her AVALANCHE friends. A small smirk came to his face, and something felt very unsettling about the look to the young heiress.

The lord made a show of standing up with an air of pride about him and addressed, "Yuffie, I have chosen the man you will marry, and it is best you forget whatever animal you have found interest in heretofore."

Yuffie's jaw dropped open, caramel eyes popping as she shouted, "No, Dad! I'm not marrying anyone you choose for me! And — and — and, he's not an animal!" Her voice was rather indignant at that point, and she scrambled out of the bed, reaching for her pillow before flinging it wildly at her father like it was Conformer. How could he speak of Vincent in such a way?!

Puffing up, the lord answered condescendingly, "Well, he simply cannot be better than the man I chose for you! Therefore, his is an animal, and that is the final word on the matter!"

When he reached for the doorknob, Yuffie cried, "Vincent Valentine saved the universe three times, once on his own! He is brave, and kind, and he might be emotionally constipated but he's really really good at heart and just because he thinks he's a monster doesn't mean he is because Lucrecia's downfall really wasn't his fault and he only tried to help her and I really look up to him Dad because he's admirable and courageous and he probably helps little old ladies across the street as a second job like Jerry Cruncher and the man is a freaking marble bust come to life with eyes that look like blood and I know that sounds creepy but Leviathan is it gorgeous and my gosh he's kind of breathtaking in a creepy 'I'm a vampire who'll suck your blood' kind of way and he's never once treated me like a child and the man can turn into freaking demons and crap and that sounds even weirder but to me it just makes him more of a badass and you know I can't resist someone as mysterious and dangerous as that!"

Yuffie took a huge gulp of breath, and it was her father's turn to drop his jaw.

After the moment had passed, the old man straightened up and composed himself. Stroking his dark beard, Godo inquired, "A Mister Valentine, you say?"

Puzzled, the ninja shrugged and answered in a way that she hoped sounded bored and not at all infatuated like before, "Yeah, he was the creepy-ish looking guy in all of the AVALANCHE pictures. But I promise you, he's way hotter in real life. And he looks really, really good in a business suit."

Shaking his head at Yuffie and still smirking, something that made her feel uneasy all over again, Godo bid the princess good day and stepped out of her room, making sure to lock it behind him. Shrieking frustratedly once more, Yuffie turned on her heel and slammed stomach first onto the bed.

"Leviathan, I hate my life."

* * *

[Type Number Here or Enter Contact]

… Contacts …

[Tifa Lockhart-Strife]

Sorry about last night. Supper was… a disaster, to put it lightly. I wish you would've told me before what was going on. I didn't mean to upset you or the children.

It still hasn't really set in. I went upstairs last night and found the balloon. Damn it, Tifa, what am I supposed to say now? Sorry I screwed up? That just doesn't seem like enough to me, and I know it's not what you deserve.

So how about we try this again? When I get back from deliveries today, I want you to be ready to go. Don't bother trying to figure out where, either, because I'll never tell. And it doesn't matter what you wear, because you'll look good no matter what. Just be ready.

I'm sorry, Teef. I love you.

… … …

... [˅] ...

… … …

XSentX

* * *

Vincent,

I'm sorry that you missed me today. I was away on important business at the Northern Crater, discussing a rather dire influx of monsters in the area. It seems that something is attracting them to Icicle Inn.

But straight to the point. I understand that there is something you need to discuss with me? My secretary said you were rather adamant about scheduling an appointment at the first convenience. If all goes according to plan, I shall be back no later than Friday of next week. Do keep me posted.

Reeve

xXx

Finishing up the email, Vincent let out a low growl and jabbed the power button on his computer monitor, pushing his chair back from the desk as if to distance himself as much as he could from his current annoyance. He leaned back in his chair, feeling the tension mounting with every passing second.

There was a secret floating around the World Regenesis Organization, and it was one he wasn't privy to. The first thing anyone associated with Vincent Valentine should know was that he didn't take kindly to information being withheld from him. It seemed even stranger that the president should be away at the time the gunslinger needed to speak to him most.

Either this was a setup, or Reeve Tuesti had impeccable timing when it came to scheduling "business trips." Vincent was fairly certain that nothing going on between Guardian Shelke and President Tuesti in Icicle Inn could be considered business. At least, not of the appropriate, professional kind.

So with a heavy sigh and a deflated posture, Vincent collected his files for his most recent project (one involving a relatively large expansion to the Gold Saucer in order to accommodate the convention center Dio planned to have built to give the amusement park a wider range of visitors, specifically ones that wore high class suits and had heavy wallets in their back pockets — wouldn't Yuffie be thrilled) and shut the lights off to his office, stepping into the hall and locking the door behind him.

Thinking of Yuffie had left a bad taste in Vincent's mouth. Ever since he'd run into those troops, the gunslinger couldn't get the sticky fingered ninja out of his mind. It was still so hard to believe that she had been whisked away to her homeland, never to see her friends again.

He knew she would hate it. She often came knocking at his door late at night when she needed someone to vent to, and he honestly could never refuse her admittance. He enjoyed listening to her fevered ranting about her "old fart of a father," cheeks puffed up and redder than his eyes, lips pulled back to reveal her pearly whites. There was something oddly beautiful about Yuffie when she was angry, and that's why he'd purposely go out of his way to pick on her. She never failed to enchant him.

Shaking his head, Vincent collected himself and continued walking, only pausing half a beat when he heard the sweet voice of Elena call out, "Sir? Are you alright, Vice President Valentine?"

Turning to face the ex-Turk-turned-head-of-security, Vincent nodded and assured, "I am fine, Elena. And as I've said before, you may drop the formalities."

Reddening slightly at that, the blonde answered, "Yes, sir." When she realized what she had said, her face colored further. Luckily, Tseng chose that moment to appear and wrap his arm around his wife, bowing slightly to the gunslinger.

"Hello, Vincent."

"Tseng."

Elena smiled at her husband and took his hand, allowing him to lead her towards his office quietly. Watching the couple carefully, Vincent narrowed his eyes. Letting his mind wander was attracting the attention of his coworkers. He'd have to be careful about letting Yuffie divert him from his thoughts.

With a low chuckle, Vincent thought to himself, _Even when she is not with me, she never ceases to be a distraction._

In a funny way, he kind of missed her.

* * *

Dear freaking Diary, it's me, Yuffs.

Ew, that sounds way too formal. Whoever came up with 'dear diary,' anyways? I mean, she sure had to have been loony, talking to her diary. No, I am not loony! I'm simply finding something to occupy my time.

And since I'm not talking to my diary (which isn't a diary, but a record of my days in imprisonment, mind), I'll have to address this to someone. Who can I address it to?

Oh, Vince! That's a good one, since he'll NEVER SEE IT! Stupid gunslinger who shirked me at the transportation department.

Vincent, you are a low, low man whom I currently detest. Oh, yeah, I did just go there and use that big word. Don't give me that look I know you'd give me if you read this, the one that says, 'Yuffie, detest is only six letters long. A better word would be [go ahead and insert one of your "fancy" words that you know I don't know].'

Why do I detest you?

1. You're gorgeous.

2. You never, ever let me shoot Cerberus because you said it was too much gun for me to handle. That's kind of insulting to my ninja awesomeness.

3. You have a way of making me feel like a nuisance, and I really hate that.

4. I wanted to fix things, but you acted all butt hurt and ran like a coward and made me feel even guiltier.

5. When we were paired together, you were the only one who treated me like I could handle things, like I wasn't some kid. You made me feel like I belonged.

6. When you saved me from Nero's darkness, I was so scared that I felt almost paralyzed. But you were there, telling me I was okay, with that look of concern and anger in your eyes. And then you went after him, and I think that's when I fell in love with you. So I guess I'm just angry that I love you, and there's not much I can do about it.

7. You went to Lucrecia's cave for a whole week while I was trying to put on a brave face, while inside I was dying, thinking you were never coming back to us. You act like we don't matter, like the present means nothing compared to your past. Do you even care about us?

8. I have just one word to say: Lucrecia. She screwed you over, and yet you still stick her up on a pedestal, and I cannot compete with Lucrecia the goddess of beauty and science and all that other stuff that seems to sound like dark poetry whenever you speak of her. Why can't you just be angry at her like the rest of us?

9. I'll never find someone who's as dark and creepy as you, and although I never thought that was my type, apparently it is. I guess I just want a lovelorn gunslinger with a badass cloak and pretty red eyes. Do you know if there's a superstore for that?

10. You haven't tried to talk to me once since I was forced to come back here to Wutai, and I think that hurts the most. Have you really stopped caring?

So… uh… Thaaaaat's why I hate you…

I swear, if anyone ever reads this diary entry, I will kill them with my rusty shuriken. Got that, Valentine?

~Yuffie is over and out!

* * *

**I hope that everyone enjoyed this! Thank you for reading, and please leave me some feedback if you've got the time!**

_**Knock-Out92:**_**I'm really glad that you're liking it! I appreciate the advice you left, 'cause it's really good to know what my readers like. That's why I began this with Yuffie's pov and ended it in a similar way. I'll try to continue that throughout the story! Thanks so much :)**

_**valkera:**_**Thank you for your continued support! It always makes me smile to see one of your reviews. Aren't you glad that Cloud got his act together? Let's see if Teef's is so forgiving ;) And I plan to announce the engagement soon, but who will find out first? It's yet another competition between Vince and Yuffster!**

_**SakiWatari:**_**Lol! It's always fun to listen to the kind of noises you make when laughing at a fanfiction. I swear you learn more about yourself on this site than anywhere else XD Thanks for all of the reviews!**


	5. So, If You Aren't Screwing Reeve?

**Sup, guys? I know, I'm posting this quicker than normal. Reason being that school starts soon and I'm already having to attend functions for prep. Just be prepared for the updates to start decreasing, or possibly increasing (sometimes Fanficing is the only thing that keeps me sane at school).**

**Disclaimer: I don't profit, all this stuff belongs to someone else. You know how it is, so don't sue me.**

* * *

As thunder echoed hollowly and rain pounded against the windows of my apartment near headquarters, I sat up with a mug of steaming Wutain tea (it made me miss Yuffie) in one hand and my projects file in the other. Although the clock on the nightstand beside my bed kept flashing twelve, I knew that the hour was at least two and the power had gone out. The only way I could even continue reading and working was because of my enhanced vision, something Yuffie had referred to as, 'super cool, and something I could actually _thank_ Hojo for.' I seem to remember her adding that I could thank him for making me "creepy," at least enough for me to grow my hair out to what the thief deemed as sexy.

That brought a smile to my face. Everything having to deal with the Wutain ninja did. Odin, I actually missed that silly, lopsided grin she'd give me right before she blew me a kiss and tore out of my apartment, her backpack thumping against her back with the weight of my mastered materia. It did bother me that most of my priceless items went missing after each of her visits, but I could never confront her. I'd learned that after the incident before her capture by Don Corneo (in which no one felt like forgiving her thievery), giving her any look of disappointment and asking for my materia back would put such a miserably guilty look on her face that I'd just as soon pretend she'd never stolen the items in the first place. It was a terrible way to discipline her unacceptable behavior, but it kept her from being unhappy, and therefore I felt justified.

I should never be a father.

Leafing through the pages of the Gold Saucer reports, I blinked my eyes tiredly and glanced out the window. The night was darker than most, a sign that the storm would not be passing quickly. The atmosphere that the rumbling thunder and the showering raindrops created was so peaceful that I rather resented returning to work.

It really had been a while since I simply took a step back and allowed myself to rest. Ever since my promotion, Yuffie had been so utterly proud of me, that I couldn't hand my resignation papers over to Reeve like I originally planned. Her beaming face and delighted claps whenever I attended my first meeting as vice president had done it, effectively destroying any of my plans to quit working at the W.R.O. It was an odd concept that something like Yuffie's being pleased at my promotion could make me alter my thinking and actions, but she had that effect on me.

I believed that Reeve suspected my unexpected attachment to Yuffie, and at first it was rather terrifying. For him to have guessed what my true feelings for her were before even I had discovered it was not a happy thought. After having been so in love — at least, I thought so — with Lucrecia for so long, it felt almost adulterous to allow myself to feel something for Yuffie. And in any case, I knew that she did not and would not ever return the feelings. I was a monster, and nothing would change that.

But the fact of the matter remained that I had begun to develop what many young kids called a "crush" on Yuffie, and it made for interesting staff meetings whenever she'd get bored and wink or blow a kiss at me, and my face would turn beet red. Reeve found it amusing, but I did not.

Just as I had moved to pack away my files, there was a soft knock at my door, one I immediately placed as belonging to Shelke. Interesting, I thought that Reeve was meeting Shelke at the Northern Continent.

Entering the living room of my apartment, I quickly moved to the door and opened it, seeing the pale face of my friend. Since Deepground, Reeve had been working hard on reversing the effects of the anti-aging genes that both Shelke and I had received when we were subjected to experiments. Two years ago, I had begun aging properly and would no longer be immortal. Shelke's reaction to the anti-elixir had been much more potent, for she aged rather quickly as a child hitting a growth spurt might, and relatively speaking, she might as well have been. Now she appeared at least sixteen, fairly tall for her age and slightly lanky, but it was an improvement from the appearance of a ten year old.

When Reeve had taken Shelke out before the treatments, everyone simply remarked on how lovely his daughter was, and he'd just smile and nod to avoid unnecessary explanations. Unfortunately, now that Shelke looked like a comely young lady (though not of the legal age), officers were habitually taking Reeve in for questioning. Lucky for the president, things began to calm down once it came out on the news that Shelke was in fact over the age of twenty-one and the two were a married couple.

"Vincent Valentine," the woman greeted in her typical emotionless voice. I nodded at her and stepped aside, motioning for her to enter the apartment. I watched her take a seat on the leather sofa in the center of the room, her eyes scanning the place in approval. She and I both enjoyed the minimalist approach when it came to interior decorating.

Yuffie hated it, and when I refused to add décor, I once again was able to sit back and enjoy the sight of her red-faced anger and her heaving chest (which had filled out nicely since we first met, might I add). The only time Yuffie ever got her way when it came to decorating my place of residence was when she convinced me to make a guest bedroom that she could stay in during long visits.

Even though her apartment was one floor down.

I still do not understand how she tricked me into that one.

"Shelke," I began lowly, "what are you hiding from me?"

The unnerving part that was to happen next certainly left me feeling ready to dart out of the door and run far, far away. Even though it had been years since Deepground, Shelke remained rather robotic. So when she twiddled her fingers and frowned, then glanced up with a rather frightened, deer-in-headlights expression and said, "Uh, Vincent, there's something Reeve and I need to confess, and you might want to sit down," I immediately knew that no good could come of this.

Fortunately, Cid chose that moment to drive through my window on his new motorbike, shouting, "No, Vince! Run before they can &%$# suck you into their ##$% insane scheme!"

What did I do?

I ran. I ran fast.

* * *

The smile on Tifa's face as she reread the text message from Cloud for the twenty-seventh time could have lit up the Ancient Forest. With twinkling wine eyes, she smoothed the hem of her black dress down and bit her glossy bottom lip, glancing up at the clock on the wall. She couldn't contain her excitement as she waited for the return of her husband, but a bit of annoyance was starting to color her mood. He was nearly an hour later.

He better come bearing roses.

Another message popped up on the screen of her PHS, and she frowned when it revealed itself to be from Cid Highwind. Opening the text, she scanned the contents and very nearly choked on her saliva.

"Vincent and Yuffie are engaged to be married?!"

Bursting through the door, a sweaty and exhausted Cloud gasped, "I know, isn't it crazy? I just found out myself. And the kicker is that neither of them know that the wedding is on!"

Dark eyebrows knitting, the brunette gave her husband a dubious look, not believing that anyone could keep such a thing from them. Not believing that anyone had the nerve to arrange a marriage for either Yuffie or Vincent without receiving a shuriken through the heart and a bullet through the brain.

"Not possible," Tifa declared, her voice betraying how skeptical she felt.

From her spot at the bar, pencil in hand as she filled in math problems, Marlene stated in a completely cool tone, "You didn't know?"

Both Cloud and Tifa swiveled their heads to stare at her with wide eyes. She let out a soft giggle.

"Denzel and I snuck into Reeve's office to hide Cait Sith — we only were gonna freak him out for a little bit — but then we heard him on the phone, and it sounded like Yuffie's father. We heard him arranging the whole thing!" The proud grin on her face stretched from ear to ear, and Tifa shook her head.

"We'll talk about the pranks later, young lady, but for now, tell me everything you know." At that Tifa, clasped her hand around Cloud's wrist and pulled him over to the young girl, both awaiting what was sure to be the story of the century.

* * *

Okay, when Reeve shows up at the butt-crack of dawn bearing a stuffed chocobo, a box of pretty valuable materia, and an apologetic smile, that's Leviathan trying to tell you to get the hell out of wherever you are and fast.

Did I listen to the stupid serpent? No.

Nope, I just tilted my head at Reeve innocently, oh so very innocently, having no idea that he was about to ruin my life. None whatsoever.

He just shimmied into the room, thrust the presents into my hands (that part I was actually okay with. What can I say? I'm a spoiled princess) and plopped down on my bed, his face tired. Frowning at him, I placed my gifts on a shelf by my bed and took a seat next to him, watching his face intently.

"So, uh, what're ya doin' here, Reeve?" I questioned, not liking the strange feeling I was getting one bit. He turned to me almost vacantly, blinking once before shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts.

"Well, Yuffie, you see, there is something that we must discuss. These are urgent matters, and I do hope you will listen well."

Feeling like the runaway I was, I crawled backwards a bit and flicked my eyes to the door, cursing lightly when I realized that whoever had let Reeve in had locked the door behind him. There went my chance of escape…

"What kind of matters?" I ventured, reaching behind me for Conformer in the event I felt like plunging it through Reeve's chest. That was unlikely, but hey! You never know.

"Yuffie," Reeve continued, sounding absolutely worried, never a good sign. "As you know, you are of the age where… it is vital that you marry someone to rule Wutai. And well, your father and I have come up with some nice candidates—"

"WHAT?!" I shrieked. Sure, Reeve and I were great buddies, but where did he get off thinking he could pick my freaking suitors?! What, was he suddenly besties with my dad and thought he would help out with the marriage process? No! No! And NO! "Reeve, have you lost your MARBLES?!"

Sensing my mental breakdown (yes, I was fairly sure I was experiencing one), the president of the W.R.O. jumped up and placed his hands on my shoulders, something he should not have done when I had so much pent up anxiety and I was in the middle of panicking. Immediately, I began shrieking, yelling over his rather fearful voice. To anyone who had no idea what was going on inside my room, it might have appeared he was raping me.

"Yuffie! Please, calm down! I promise that I helped your father choose someone I think you'll be okay with!"

"No!" I screeched again, slashing at him with my ineffectively blunt nails.

He glared at me and grabbed my hand out of thin air, scolding, "No, bad Yuffie!"

"I'm not a dog!" I screamed, my throat raw from the sheer anger and frustration I was feeling. Having apparently given up, Reeve sighed and released me, sitting back on the bed again as I sprawled across the mattress on my back, kicking and screaming like a banshee. My heart felt like it was constricted and my airways felt blocked, laboring my breathing until I was nearly hyperventilating and Reeve was kneeling over me with a very concerned look on his face.

"Yuffie?" he questioned slowly, his eyes wide.

"R-R-Reeve," I rasped, rubbing my throat. Oh Leviathan, I was having an honest to goodness panic attack, and it was the most embarrassing thing I'd ever experienced.

Kidnapped by Corneo I was, skipped out of with a grin on my face.

Watched Aerith die, cried a little but was otherwise alright.

Faced meteor, cracked a joke or two.

Squared off with the Remnants, piece o' cake!

Zapped into Nero's darkness, held my head in my hands and moaned a little.

Talk about getting married? Spazz out and have a conniption.

When I finally calmed down enough to sit up and take shallow breaths, my head was spinning and my limbs felt feeble. A soothing hand was rubbing my back, and I gave Reeve a weak smile.

"Alright now?" he asked, his eyes genuinely worried. I nodded jerkily. "Okay then, Yuffie. I'm going to tell you who you are arranged to be married to, alright?"

No, I was not! But Reeve didn't give me a chance to reply, for immediately he blurted out:

"Yuffie, you're going to marry Vincent in December!"

Another scream ripped through me, and with Ifrit's fire in my eyes, I grabbed Conformer and lunged at a cowering Reeve, crying, "OH _HELL_ NO!"

* * *

**CupofTeaforAliceandHatter:**** Thanks :) I tried to balance the heartbroken ninja with the tough, nothing bothers me ninja we all know Yuffie is! Well, Yuffs figured it out first, but Vince was soooo close! XD**

**valkera:**** I know! Godo just doesn't get how devastatingly handsome the gunslinger is, and how incredibly luckly Yuffs is turning out to be. Sure, she's putting up a fuss right now, but we know she's doing backflips on the inside ;) Yeah, I think Vince is gonna get his act together once everything's out in the open! Thanks ^-^**


	6. Tying Loose Ends, Or Tying the Knot?

**I'm sorry I'be been gone so long! Things are crazy :) but, I have been working on my collab with my friend, so hopefully we'll have it up soon!  
This chapter feels like it's too soon, idk. My friend told me I should post it, and I trust her advice, so I hope y'all like it like she did :)  
I'm on my iPad, this is hard :(  
Disclaimer: I don't profit from this, and nothing here belongs to me!**

* * *

~Lover Boy,

You and I need to talk. Did you put Reeve up to this? Are you trying to make my life a living hell? Because that would be so like you.:[

And if you have no idea what I'm talking about, then we are both screwed. _-_ Like, up the butt (Grossness). No offense, but I am not marrying you under any circumstances. *None*

The Great Ninja Yuffie (And not your wife-to-be)~

Shifting apprehensively in his seat, the ex-Turk leaned forward and slowly read the email numerous times (ignoring that Yuffie seemed to abhor the thought of marrying him vehemently). It unsettled him slightly that Yuffie had cryptically implied that he had, what? Proposed to her? No, that wouldn't make any sense. He had done nothing of the sort.

Nothing. At all.

Then what on Gaia did she mean? A pounding migraine forced its way into his head, pushing against his cranium with the strength of a Midgar Zolom. This had to have something to do with Reeve and Shelke, Vincent knew that for sure. Who else had the gall to act so innocent and device such a see-through plan as they?

He thought his miseries had been vanquished with Hojo, laid to rest with the fair Lucrecia. What an inane thought that was. He was Vincent Valentine, and misery loved company. Apparently, he fit this role so well that he'd never be free of his binding chains. His world was one mystery, another tragedy with every day that passed.

Reeve had some damn good explaining to do.

The gunslinger glanced at the ticking clock on the barren wall of his office, figuring that he only had about a half hour until Mrs. Tuesti stormed into the W.R.O. building to finish the conversation she'd started in his apartment.

He decided to email Yuffie back in the meantime.

~Yuffie,

I do not know what you mean.

Vincent~

Four minutes later, he received his reply.

~Vinnie,

Straight to the point as always, huh? Fine, I'll be to the point, too.

Why haven't you tried to talk to me since I went back to Wutai, huh? I mean, at least I attempted that day at the bus station, whereas you just left me standing there looking like a two-headed chocobo while everyone gawked at the rejected chick (pardon the pun).

So why is that? I get that you don't care about us the way we care about you and all, but don't you think it's the least we deserve? You don't have to be such a jerk all the time. When are you going to stop thinking about the past and being so freaking selfish?

Like it or not, we care about you. And it hurts that you don't give a crap about us.

Yuffie~

Something in that email caused a stirring sensation in the battle-hardened heart of Vincent Valentine, a feeling that at once had him cringing internally. A jerk? Yes, he could be cold and distant at times, but he didn't think he'd ever given his friends a reason to think that he didn't care about them. Well, he had left Yuffie at the station rather than talked to her.

But he couldn't have talked to her then, not even if he'd wanted to. Though he'd never admit it to himself or anyone else, her words had hurt him that day. Of course he cared about her, and that was why he did not want her drinking her sorrows away at the bar. Not only would it damage her liver, but it would have impaired her senses. And what if another incident like the Corneo one had happened? What if she'd been beaten, or worse!?

As soon as the thought began, he stopped it. Yuffie is fine, he reminded himself. There's no sense in dwelling on things that have not and will not happen.

Having come to honestly appreciate the ninja whom most others just thought of as a brat, Vincent hated seeing how miserable she looked when she left the W.R.O. to prepare to return home. And why hadn't he contacted her yet? He had to confess, things were quiet around his office and everywhere else for that matter without the lively kunoichi messing with him. And in her absence, he realized, he did miss her. A lot, in fact.

~Yuffie,

I am sorry that I have been a "jerk." Please accept my apology and know that I have thought about you while you've been gone. I simply hadn't worked up the courage to contact you yet. I knew it would lead to a confrontation such as the one occurring now. Fighting with you is not something I enjoy.

How are you, Yuffie? Is everything alright over there?

Vinnie~

* * *

Holy Leviathan! I had to be dreaming, there was just no way that Vincent put something that emotionally vulnerable in an email to me. This was the man of few words with chronic emotional constipation, and here he was, sending me a message that actually sounded rather heart-felt.

And he even signed it "Vinnie," no less.

No way. No way on Gaia.

But, after I read it for the gilmillionth time, no doubt remained in my skeptical mind. Vincent had actually apologized to me in his Vincent-y little way, and admitted that I crossed his mind.

My palms began to feel slick against the mouse pad and my leg bounced uncontrollably as I stared at the blue screen of my computer. Little fluttery butterflies danced in the pit of my stomach, a sure sign that this email had affected me in ways I really didn't need right now.

No, letting my teensy-weensy, irrelevant crush on the gunslinger with that long, silky raven hair that brushed his strong, narrow shoulders and spilled over that tattered red cloak, the same shade as his soul-seeing crimson orbs that were as deep as the ocean and spoke of the horrors of humanity, and that sharp, angular face hidden behind the cowl of his cloak, hiding that beautiful, rare smile that lit up his gorgeous features, and his metal claw that could easily rip me to shreds, but just as gently caress my cheek and hold my hand tightly, and his silky, low rumble of a voice that sent shivers down my spine every time—

Oh my gosh. I had it bad for Vincent Valentine.

Things just got a lot more complicated.

~Vince,

Call me. Like, now, preferably.

Yuffs~

* * *

Frowning at the answer the ninja had given him (he had been hoping for something a little more sincere, something that would put his mind at ease), the gunslinger stepped away from the computer and pulled his PHS from one of his many pockets. The thought crossed his mind to just let it go and refuse to initiate any further form of communication — it certainly wouldn't be the first time he'd ignored the ninja — because that was the safest bet. Who knew where this conversation would take them, the kind of wounds it would reopen.

For thirty years, Vincent had locked himself away in a coffin. Everything in his life changed, though, when AVALANCHE discovered him. Yuffie had certainly made matters worse with her nagging, stealing, and careless behavior, but eventually, she had dug so deeply under his skin, that he simply could not yank her out like the leech she was. And that leech, that damn leech with those enticing little shorts and cute little face, had slithered her way into a very vital organ of the ex-Turk.

But he didn't love her. No, he just cared about her... Like a sister! That was it. He worried about her well-being!

Vincent's finger hovered over the five button on his cell phone, and it only occurred to him then that he had programmed Yuffie not only into his speed dial, but as the button that was closest to his thumb when he flipped the screen up.

Shaking off the strange notion, Vincent pressed the digit and held the phone to his ear. He only had to wait for one ring before the beeping cut off and Yuffie picked up.

"Yuffie—"

"Vince, please come to Wutai! I need to see you!" The kunoichi's voice was frantic, and the panicky feeling overwhelmed Vincent. He frowned at her tone and how her words had rushed out in a jumbled mess. It wasn't new for her to over-react about situations or to freak out over nothing, so he didn't feel particularly concerned. Though, she had made that odd comment earlier about marriage, so perhaps it merited more worry than that.

"Yuffie, you know I have work to do," Vincent began to chastise, hoping she would just let him go.

"—Vinnie, please! This is important!"

He was about to apologize and tell her that it simply couldn't be done, but then she took a shaky, deep breath that sounded suspiciously like she was on the verge of tears. Tears and Yuffie rarely mixed; it was like ammonia and bleach.

Concerned though he would never admit it, he demanded, "What's wrong? Yuffie, talk to me."

Voice wavering, the woman replied quietly, "Reeve and Dad got together some stupid master plan or something. They arranged a marriage for me."

Though Vincent couldn't say why, that statement caused his claw to tighten into a fist and his eyes to narrow to slits. A vein throbbed in his head as he pictured the little ninja kissing some revolting man at the altar, her white-kimono clad body pressed against his before he whisked her away to their bedroom…

Instinctively, he cut that train of thought off, not liking where it was heading. Vincent really had no reason to care or be angry at the fact that she was marrying someone.

I have no rights to her.

And he'd always loved Lucrecia anyways. There were absolutely no similarities between the two of them. Lucrecia lived for the future, furthering her career at any cost; Yuffie lived for the moment, wanting to spend every second she had enjoying life to the fullest, not worrying about what might come tomorrow. Lucrecia was controlling, a presence that could capture the entire room's attention the moment she walked in, exuding authority and pride; Yuffie could capture anyone's attention the second she entered a room, but she radiated laughter, joy, and self-confidence. Lucrecia never let someone get in the way of what she wanted; Yuffie put her friends before herself, always looking out for the people she cared about.

The two were complete opposites, so it only stood that Vincent would never be attracted to the big brown, doe-eyes that twinkled whenever someone bought Yuffie materia for her birthday, or the powerful, lithe legs that could twist into any painful shape she wanted, or the bright, contagious grin that swallowed her face and radiated light that was brighter than the sun — Yuffie gave off a powerful aura, but it was a comforting one. It was one the gunslinger had come to crave.

Lucrecia… With a frown, the ex-Turk leaned against the wall, his fingers rubbing at his temples. Lucrecia was in the past, and surprisingly enough, Vincent was ready for a future. Still, he shouldn't have felt angry at all by what the ninja was telling him.

Yuffie… marrying a man her father deemed fit for her. Who was Lord Godo to decide who deserved to spend his life beside Yuffie Kisaragi, anyways? Shouldn't she have a say? He knew the traditions of Wutai well, but he thought that arranging marriages was a law that was voided long before Lord Godo was even born. Then why was she engaged to someone her father had chosen?

For some reason, Vincent felt a new demon's presence within him, that which they called the Green Eyed Monster.

His thoughts dispersed just fast enough to catch the teary voice of Yuffie finish, "Vincent, they're making us marry each other to unite all of Gaia."

"Do you know who the man is?" he asked, and to his shock, it almost sounded threatening. He let out a slight cough, hoping it covered the bitterness of his earlier tone. Yuffie would surely cause him bodily harm, were she to know he'd even considered such a possessive thought.

An odd sound drifted through the phone, something that sounded strangely like a sob and a laugh. Vincent held his breath, waiting for the ninja's next words, somehow knowing they'd alter his future, though he knew not how.

"Us," Yuffie clarified, "They're making us marry. You and me, Vince."

You...and me? His lips quirked up at the sound of that. His first thought shouldn't have been, Then she is not marrying a strange man who could easily bring harm to her!... I'm engaged to Yuffie… We're getting married…

But it was.

Forgetting about the princess on the other line, he hissed, "Gaia, what is happening to me?"

* * *

**I hope you liked it! Please leave me some feedback ^-^**


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